Developments on the Brexit

What is the issue?

As the EU and Britain enter for the next round of Brexit negotiations,  EU demands more clarity on certain issues before Britain decides on post-Brexit arrangements.

What are the recent developments?

• The opposition party is putting forth the idea of a "soft Brexit".
• Firstly, this means Britain remaining in the EU’s customs union and single market for a transition period after the March 2019 Brexit deadline.
• This would perhaps facilitate tariff-free trade, and the much-needed certainty to businesses and consumers.
• However, it also implies the acceptance of the principle of free movement of people within the EU bloc, which was earlier one of the prime reasons for the Brexit.
• Secondly, the initial call for Brexit had firmly asserted the need for Britain's independence from the  European Court of Justice on national sovereignty concerns.
• However, recently, the ruling Conservative Party has hinted a possibility of the continued role of the Court well after Britain’s exit from the EU.
• Britain Prime Minister Theresa May is compromising on her earlier stance to leave both, as she lost her parliamentary majority in the recent elections.

What is the way forward?

• The withdrawal agreement as understood from Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union entails three distinct elements -  

1. status of British and EU migrants resident in their respective territories
2. the financial settlement of London’s outstanding dues
3. reconfiguration of the EU-UK border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

• The European Union insists that these key issues of withdrawal be dealt and settled before any post-Brexit discussions begin.
• A resolution of these outstanding issues only would ensure a meaningful negotiation on the Brexit as well as any future trade agreement between the two parties.

Source: The Hindu